Weightlifting Fiji will be sending three athletes to the Australian Open International Championship this week.

This was confirmed yesterday Weightlifting Fiji’s vice-president Christopher Yee who said the championship will be held at the Victorian Weightlifting Stadium in Linda Crescent, Hawthorn, Melbourne in Australia on March 17-19.

“This championship will serve as the qualifying tournament for the Commonwealth Games which will be held in Gold Coast, Australia in April 2018,” Yee said.

He said the three weightlifters who are going are:

n Apolonia Vaivai– This Taveuni athlete was a gold medallist at the 2015 and 2016 Commonwealth Championships. She is also the 2016 Oceania Weightlifting Championship gold medallist in the 69kg weight category which was held in Suva. She represented Fiji at the Rio Olympic Games finishing in 11th position.

n Eileen Cikamatana – At the age of 16, this Taviya, Ovalau weightlifter won a gold medal at the 2016 IWF World Youth Championship  in Malaysia. She is the 2016 Oceania Youth and Junior Championship and 2016 Commonwealth Championship silver medallist. Eileen is currently training in Mont Dore, New Caledonia at the Oceania Weightlifting Institute under OWI coach Paul Coffa.

Coffa will be travelling to Melbourne with a large delegation of Pacific weightlifters who are training at the Institute.

n Manueli Tulo– Raised in Korovou Baba, Levuka, Ovalau, he is the defending 56kg weight category champion of the Australian Open International Championship. He won the gold medal at the 2016 Oceania Weightlifting Championship and was placed 13th at the Rio Olympic Games

National development officer, Josefa Atekini Vueti  will be travelling with the team.

Tulo competes on Friday March, 17, Vaivai on Saturday, March 18 and Cikamatana on Sunday,  March 19.

“This is an important part of the next phase of our new Olympic quadrennial as we embark on our preparation for the 2018 Commonwealth Games where Fiji is targeting 3 medals.

“This is also a very important build-up competition for Eileen Cikamatana who is targeting a medal at the 2017 World Junior Championship in Tokyo, Japan in June.”

Weightlifting Fiji expresses their gratitude to Fiji National Sports Commission for their support for this team to the Australian International Weightlifting Championship.

Edited by Paula Tuvuki

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